Welcome to Rappler, a social news network where stories inspire community engagement and digitally fuelled actions for social change. Rappler comes from the root words "rap" (to discuss) + "ripple" (to make waves).

New claims about mismanagement of the Catholic Church's finances and vitriolic attacks on Pope Francis from hardline traditionalists offer a keyhole glimpse of in-fighting simmering behind closed doors at the Vatican, experts say

The young centrist president has pledged to find 16 billion euros ($20 billion) of savings next year, seeing cutting the deficit as key to boosting France's credibility in Europe as he eyes a shake-up of the European Union

The vote in the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq and some disputed areas is non-binding and will not lead automatically to independence, but is seen by the Kurds as a major step towards a long-cherished dream of statehood

Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former US congressman and estranged husband of one of Hillary Clinton's closest aides, was sentenced to 21 months in prison on Monday, September 25, for sexting a school girl

'Throughout the years... the Philippines has never expressed collectively, in its Constitution or any other legal instrument, that our strength as a nation depends on how we look after the weakest part of it'

(3rd UPDATE) The non-binding vote on the Kurds' long-cherished dream of independence, initiated by veteran leader Massud Barzani, has angered not only the federal government but also neighboring Turkey and Iran

AfD will now send dozens of lawmakers to the Bundestag opposition benches, giving them a platform to spread their views, including challenging Germany's culture of atonement over World War II and the massacre of 6 million Jews and others in the Holocaust

Trump ignites a firestorm of criticism after comments on Friday, September 22, in which he described NFL players who chose to take a knee through renditions of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' as 'sons of bitches' who should be fired

(UPDATED) In a bombshell for the German establishment, the anti-Islam, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) captures around 13% of the vote, catapulting it to become the country's third biggest political force

Addressing the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi does not explicitly criticize US President Donald Trump's new strategy on Afghanistan but makes clear his displeasure with the renewed onus on Pakistan

The New York Times and Washington Post report that Robert Mueller recently asked the White House for records and communications covering 13 specific areas, particularly key actions by Trump since he became president in January

Spain's public prosecutor have opened an investigation into more than 700 Catalan mayors who have backed the referendum slated for October 1, which the country's Constitutional Court has ordered be suspended

Welcome to Rappler, a social news network where stories inspire community engagement and digitally fuelled actions for social change. Rappler comes from the root words "rap" (to discuss) + "ripple" (to make waves).